Casa Colina’s Children’s Services Center celebrated the grand opening of its Huunat Interactive Musical Playground with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 8. San Manuel—which has partnered with Casa Colina since 2005 on numerous programs and projects—contributed $450,000 in 2022 for the creation of this playground. Huunat means Bear in Serrano. The project was chosen by the San Manuel Tribal Youth Committee to help inspire the future of other young people through education.
The project is the first of its kind and a therapeutic tool that allow clinicians to focus on the unique strengths and weaknesses of each child. “The improvements to the playground and the development of educational materials have provided valuable resources for therapists, parents and the wider community,” said Children’s Services Center Director Michele Alaniz. “The preliminary research findings offer a promising direction for future studies and potential funding opportunities to further validate and expand the use of interactive, music-based therapeutic tools.”
